Norris, the Victory of Strategy
Lando Norris remains in the fight for the 2025 F1 World Championship. A bold one-stop strategy secured him first place at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri, with two stops, finished 2nd, and George Russell completed the podium. Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc came in 4th. Gabriel Bortoleto, voted “Driver of the Day” for the second time, achieved his best finish yet: 6th place. The organizers announced an attendance of 300,000 people over the three days of the event. Formula 1 now heads into its well-deserved summer break and returns on August 31 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort Circuit.
The race at Hungaroring, the 14th round of the year, had its most exciting moments in the final laps, when Oscar Piastri closed in on Norris. The gap dropped to under one second, but even with tires that were 20 laps newer, he could not complete the overtake. His best attempt came on the penultimate lap, when Piastri pushed too hard and wore out his tires, allowing Norris to defend successfully. The title fight, for now limited to these two drivers, remains tight. Piastri stays in the lead, but by only nine points over Norris.
Charles Leclerc was disappointed with the race result, disagreeing with Ferrari’s strategy after making his first stop too early, on lap 20. His second stop came on lap 41, after which he began complaining about the car’s condition. On lap 62, Leclerc lost the chance to reach the podium to George Russell. After the race, the team’s engineers revealed a chassis issue.
Bortoleto had an exceptional weekend. On Friday, he stayed late at the track overseeing adjustments to the car. The results came on Saturday when he secured 7th place in qualifying. In the race, he maintained strong pace, matching Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen, and Lance Stroll. He made his pit stop on lap 43 and secured 6th place. With this result, he now has 14 points and sits 17th in the standings.
São Paulo GP – The race on November 7, 8, and 9 at Interlagos will feature a new tire compound selection. The C5 compound (the softest) will not be used. Pirelli has chosen the C2, C3, and C4 compounds, the same as in the 2023 race. Last year, the choice was C3, C4, and C5. The inclusion of the C2 will therefore give teams the chance for longer stints.
Formula 3 – Following in Gabriel Bortoleto’s footsteps, Pernambuco native Rafael Câmara clinched the F3 title with one race to spare. Starting from pole, he faced no rivals throughout the race. In Saturday’s sprint, he finished 8th. With 156 points, the Ferrari Academy driver can no longer be caught. The F3 season will conclude at Monza on September 7.